Fight the good fight
A certain elder struggled in the desert. He carried water from far away, with labour and with great hardship. Once faintheartedness overcame him, and a thought seized him: “Why is so much labour needed? Would it not be better to begin to struggle nearer the water?” While he was pondering the fulfilling of this intention, he saw a certain being who was following him and counting his steps. The elder asked him who he was. He answered: “I am an angel, sent by the Lord to count thy steps and for them to grant thee great grace.” Hearing this, the elder was strengthened and went away to struggle still further, into the depths of the desert.
Anthony the Great was once seized by despondency and evil thoughts; but soon, taking fright, he cried out to God: “O God! I wish to be saved, but I do not myself know what carries me away. Show me the way by which I may overcome these dreadful thoughts. Teach me how to be saved.” A little later Saint Anthony came out of his cell and saw a stranger, who first sat at his handiwork, then rose and prayed. Then he sat again and plaited, and then again stood up to pray... This was an angel, who appeared to Anthony in the form of a monk, to correct him and to warn him. At that moment, while the holy hermit was looking at him, the bodiless guardian said to him: do thou also thus, and thou shalt be saved. Hearing this, Saint Anthony was filled with joy and hope, and after this he never broke the angelic rule.
From the “Life of Saint Gregory of Khandzta” we learn that “Father Gregory received none of the negligent”, but first tried everyone in every good work, and if he found one guileless of heart, without craft, and in every good work obedient without murmuring and with humility, he received him with joy. Therefore every disciple of his was exceedingly good and worthily received his holy virtues. And thus in blessedness they lived spiritually, while bodily they dwelt in great straitness.
When Abba Maximus was asked: “What are we to do when we have no inward spiritual work?” he answered: if you have no inward spiritual work, then desire and labour to fulfil bodily work, and thus you will gain the spiritual work also.
In the monastery of Konstamonitou, in the days of the abbot Philaretos, there lived a monk who out of negligence did not come down to the services and did not fulfil his spiritual duties.
The most reverent abbot, Father Philaretos, constantly admonished him and gave him warnings, but he still made nothing of it. The elder was obliged to commend him to the most holy Theotokos, and day and night he asked Her to help the brother.
And one day the brother saw the most holy Theotokos, Who with sorrow said to him:
— Thy unseemly life grieves Me. Now, while thou art young and in health, thou dost not come down to the church to pray, but sittest in thy cell, and unseemly thoughts choke thee; when then wilt thou go? When thou art old and feeble?
After this happening the monk was wholly changed: he was the first to come down to the services and struggled with great diligence.
